Life After you
by MissSteffy
Summary: Sam and Freddie find it difficult to deal with their break up, especially when someone new comes into the picture. Carly feels guilty about their break up and confides in Brad. Seddie.
1. Flashbacks

**Hello. This is my newest story. I was going to post this after completing the story I'm currently writing, You Lose You Win, but I decided against it. Originally this story was going to focus on Sam and Freddie's first year of being together. Throw in some fights, drama, and fluff that better their relationship but after iLove You, I wasn't really feeling the idea. So I changed it up a bit. Some ideas that were going to be in the original story will be in here.**

**So this story takes place about two months after Sam and Freddie's break up. There will be some teasing, bonding, and jealousy. This is also my first story where some chapters will be in Carly's point of view. I'm used to writing in just Sam and Freddie's but I don't want to exclude Carly this time.**

**I hope you enjoy this story as much as I know I'm going to enjoy writing it. I hope you stick around with me.**

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><p>Just like every single one of our kisses, the kiss we had once the elevator door closed was sweet and innocent. My hands sat comfortably on his shoulders and his were on my waist, squeezing it lightly. And just like every one of our kisses, we were slightly distanced from each other. Our relationship was so new and foreign for us that we never really took that extra step to get closer physically. Other than kissing, we didn't really do much.<p>

But despite the distance and restrictions, the kiss felt so right yet so wrong. It felt so wrong that our last kiss was going to end in the same awkward position. I felt so bold when these thoughts filled my head. I wanted to savor our last kiss together, to hold him tightly and to have him hold me possessively.

We broke our kiss quickly and I took the opportunity to press the STOP button in the elevator again. Freddie looked at me with a confused look but it quickly faded when I placed my arms around his neck and pulled him to me forcefully, kissing him with all the courage and passion I could muster. He must have been surprised because he stood frozen, not moving an inch and I didn't want to open my eyes to see his reaction. But it's not everyday you tell a guy you love him and this was our last moment together so I wanted to show him that what I said was genuine and true.

Slowly, his arms snaked around my waist. They weren't resting on my waist or the small of my back. They were all around me and I felt a little pressure on my back. He was pulling me closer until our bodies were pressed hard against each other. His lips curved into a smile against mine before he began to move them slowly. I moved mine against his at the same speed.

Open mouth kisses were new territory for us. I could feel my heart going at full speed from the new and unfamiliar position we were in but at the same time it felt so comfortable and familiar to me. Against my will, a whimper escaped my mouth when I felt his lips around my lower lip. He was gently nibbling on it and it felt so amazing that I couldn't even wonder how he became such a great kisser. I pushed him slightly until his back came in contact with the elevator. Another whimper escaped my mouth when I felt his tongue part my lips and brush against mine as his hands roamed all over my back. And I thought I was the bold one in this moment of passion.

Exploring each other the way did was such a wonderful feeling. As if I was feeling pins and needles and electricity all over my body. The room suddenly felt hot and stuffy. It pained to have to let him go but I was suffocating and I needed some air. Our lips disconnected for a moment while I took off my leather jacket. Freddie took that as the perfect chance to get some air but still get a piece of me. His lips went straight to my neck and I threw my head back to give him more access. He wasn't aggressive. He was giving me light kisses all over my neck as I tried to catch my breath. I could hear him murmuring something into my neck.

He kissed my neck.

"I love you," he murmured.

He kissed my neck.

"I love you," he breathed out.

"I love you… I love you… I love you… I love you," he kept saying over and over every time his lips met my neck.

Those three words. Sure, they were three little words but with so much meaning and emotions that just one person couldn't fully explain how it truly feels to have those words said to them. Beating like a drum was my heart against my chest the moment I stepped out of that elevator and he said those three words to me. I walked out of there, feeling completely disappointed that we could not work our relationship the way we wanted it. Feeling like life could never get better from there but he gave me hope. For the first time in my life, I felt like a girl who was wanted. A girl who was desirable. For a moment, he showed me what it's like to be one hundred percent happy.

His lips went from my neck to my jaw line to my cheek and finally to my forehead, completely ignoring my lips. I didn't mind. We were both still out of breath and he wanted to take his time while keeping me close. I leaned my head towards him until I was resting on his chest. I held him close, like my life depended on it. Like the end of the world was coming and we only had one hour left. Showing vulnerability was not something I'd do like it was normal. I only show it to those who deserve it and Freddie definitely deserved it. He said he loved me and I was finally comfortable with giving him my heart, despite the pending break up. No matter what, I was officially his because no other guy could ever make me feel what he made me feel in the month we spent together.

"I love you too…," I said quietly.

"More than you'll ever know," he said right away.

I lifted my head and pulled back a bit but still keeping my hands around his neck and I looked at him curiously, trying to find some sincerity in his eyes even though I knew it was there. Oh who was I kidding? I just really wanted to look into those chocolate brown eyes of his that always found a way to drive me insane.

"You really mean that?" I asked softly.

"Mmhm," he said with that signature smirk of his. "I know it's insane. We had an insane time together. There were ups and downs but I meant everything I said about you. "

I smiled and looked down in intimidation. Only Freddie Benson could do that to me.

"So what do you want to do for the next hour?"

"Do you want to go up the studio for a bit?"

"Sure," I said and quickly pressed the button to start up the elevator again. I took Freddie's hand in mine as we waited for the elevator to take us to the iCarly studio.

We finally reached the studio and we walked in slowly. I looked around for a good spot for us to get cozy but the only good thing I found in the crowded studio were the bean bag chairs.

I lead him to the bean bag chairs and we both sat down, sharing the same one. I laid on my side and he did as well so we were both looking at each other. We held each other gently but close to each other, wanting to savor the moment and take advantage of our short time together. I looked at him with a small smile that faded quickly.

As the time ticked, thoughts were running through my head. Sure, we love each other but what's to say that someone won't come into the picture? Freddie could meet some nerdy girl who is smarter and much tamer than me that could scoop him up and make him fall in love with her, leaving me completely hurt. A thousand cuts and bruises would never compare to the heartbreak I would feel if that ever happened.

I couldn't look at him as doubt started to sink in and I began to think the worst. Out of all the jerk bags I dated, Freddie was the one that still stuck around even after the constant fights and slaps to the face. Not once did he tell me that I should change if I wanted to be with him. Knowing that I was probably never going to get the chance to kiss him, to hold him anymore slowly killed me inside. I cleared my throat.

"Um… Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

Oh god, I couldn't believe I was actually going to say what I was going to say. I took a deep breath.

"I know we don't really… click now but uh… I uh… I hope that one day… I'll be good enough for you," I said quietly. I felt so ashamed for admitting that to him but he was noting but sweet to me and I felt like I owed him the truth. I owed him that much.

"Don't ever say that, Sam." My eyes widened at the seriousness of his tone.

"What do you mean?"

"When I said I love you, I meant it. I love you, Sam. I love you for you. You're funny, you're cute, you're strong, and you're the coolest girl I know. And aside from that, you're breathtakingly beautiful. That kiss you gave me at school during the lockdown was the best thing that ever happened to me because it made me realize what a great girl you are. If you change, you won't be the girl I fell in love with anymore."

You won't be the girl I fell in love with anymore…

The girl I fell in love with anymore…

_Girl I fell in love with_…

I couldn't believe my ears. Now I really couldn't look him in the eyes. I closed eyes shut tigh. Never in the years that Freddie and I have been at each others' throats has he seen me cry. The one time Carly and I almost fell from the window washer platform didn't count because practically everyone was crying from feeling traumatized. These weren't those kind of tears. These were tears that were threatening to fall out because Freddie Benson said the sweetest thing to me. And I wasn't some kind of sap. I did not want him to see this way. Just as long as I kept my eyes shut tight, the tears wouldn't fall.

"It's okay to cry," he whispered.

"I'm not crying," I said as I opened my eyes and one tear escaped. "You're so freaking corny, it makes my eyes water sometimes."

He chuckled and pulled me closer.

"Well, since you're being honest with me, I too hope to be good enough for you someday."

"Don't say that," I said and brought a hand to his cheek. "I like you when you're nerdy, whiny, and wimpy. Even if it does make me want to throw a hatchet at you."

We laughed for a few seconds and then he kissed my lips softly before we fell into a comfortable silence. I didn't know how much time we had left and I sure as hell didn't want to spend it talking about how our relationship didn't work out and how many in the near or distant future, we could somehow make it work.

I just wanted to hold him without a care in the world. But all too soon, it was over. It was finally midnight.

It was a new day and what we had was officially over. One entire month of kisses, hugs, arguments, and many obstacles that threatened to tear us apart were finally over. It didn't really sink in until the alarm on his phone went off and we were back in reality.

Disappointingly, we stood up and I walked him over to the elevator. He had to sneak in back home but I was sleeping over at Carly's. I didn't want to watch him walk away and I figured that watching the elevator door close, officially separating us was more than enough.

He pressed the elevator button and we waited for it. He kissed me one last time and we hugged tightly, not wanting to let go of each other. The elevator finally came and walked inside, pressing the button to take him downstairs. With a smirk and a wave of his hand, he said goodbye. I simply gave him a small smile.

When the elevator door close, I walked back until my back hit the wall and I slid down to the floor. Now that Freddie was gone and we were no longer in a relationship, it felt right to let it all out. Unshed tears made their way down my cheeks. I didn't cry dramatically or loudly. It finally sunk in that after everything that happened, Freddie and I were no longer together and it killed me. I didn't want him to see me like that so I waited. I cried myself dry that night…

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><p>I tossed and turned in bed as I replayed that night in my head over and over again. Even after two months of breaking up, I couldn't sleep because all I could think about was the night me and Freddie broke up. Though we both survived the break up, I knew that overtime, it was going to be harder to handle. If there is one thing that hasn't changed since that night was that my feelings for him were nowhere near gone.<p>

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><p><strong>Okay so that's the first chapter. It's kind of short. This is kind of an introduction to the story. I don't want to call in an prologue. Most of this story is a flashback, just wanted to make that clear. The next chapter will definitely be longer.<strong>

**I already have this whole story planned out. It won't be like my other Seddie story which was written pretty spontaneously. I'm actually taking my time to perfect this story.**

**Here's a little preview of what's to come. Carly is going to feel extremely guilty about Sam and Freddie's break up so she is going to team up with Brad to try and get them back together but things might not always go as planned. A person from someone's past will transfer to Ridgeway and it will cause problems between two people.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this intro. Please review. Feedback is what fuels me. Until next time, take care guys.**

**PS. I was reading this chapter after I published it and I noticed the many typos. I just fixed them so if you're reading this again, I'm sorry if you were confused earlier.  
><strong>


	2. Hot and Cold

**Hey guys. Thank you so much for the lovely reviews on this new story I am working on. I am very sorry that I took forever to update. Life just likes to take you by the hair and pull you away from these type of things but I am in winter break now so I will try my best to update as often as I can.**

**This story is only 15 chapters long and I have organized them all so I don't have to spontaneously write up a new chapter like I did with my other story. This is thoroughly planned.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>Brad, Gibby, and I were in the iCarly studio together waiting for Sam and Freddie to arrive for rehearsals. I was always used to Sam arriving late for rehearsals but lately, Freddie has also been arriving late and it was driving me nuts.<p>

"How late do you think they are going to be this time?" Brad asked me.

"Who knows," I said.

Normally, I would freak out and panic about anyone being late to anything that is iCarly related but they did it so often that I lost hope of them being actually committed to the show. I bit my tongue as much as I could because I knew that they weren't in the happiest moments in their lives. They broke up so suddenly and the sadness in them was so obvious that even I could tell.

They didn't tell me why they broke up exactly. They just said that it wasn't working out right no so they decided to take a break. It was mutual but why did they seem so depressed? Also, if they weren't really working out right now, why are they back to the drawing board? If two people wanted to get to know each other better by being friends first shouldn't they actually act like friends?

"Get out of my way Freddie," I heard Sam yell from downstairs, interrupting my thoughts.

"No way. I was here first. You're the one who pushed me out of the way."

"Yeah, that's because I can't stand to be anywhere near you right now."

"Well tell me something I don't know," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Guys, stop fighting," intervened Gibby. "Come on now, where is the love?"

"HAH," shouted Sam, sarcastically, basically implying that there is no love between them.

If anyone were to blink at that very moment, they would have missed this look Freddie had on his face for a split second when Sam acted as if there was nothing between them.

"Okay, guys, stop fighting please. We have to rehearse," I said, taking a clipboard that I placed on a chair filled with ideas.

"You're right, Carly," Freddie said. "I'm sorry for being late. I took a nap and somehow I missed the alarm on my phone."

"It's okay Freddie but are you okay? You've been napping a lot lately. Are you tired?"

"I'm good, don't worry about me," he said with a half smile.

"What about you, Sam? What's your excuse?" I turned to Sam.

"Oh… I was just having… you know, some ham and Fat Cakes," said Sam, looking down.

"Are YOU okay, Sam?" I asked. "I know you eat a lot but you've been eating A LOT more than normal."

"Yeah, I'm fine Carls."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes mom. Now can we please get this over and done with? I have stuff to attend to at home."

"Okay," I said, looking over the clipboard. "Brad came up with some awesome ideas and we were discussing them while you guys were taking your time napping and eating."

"Yes," said Brad as I handed him the clipboard. "We're thinking that for this week's iCarly, we introduce a new segment."

"Oohh… I came up with the idea of bathing in mayo," said Gibby with that conceited look on his face. He quickly sat down when we all gave him death stares.

"Anyways, as I was saying, we should introduce a new segment. Since you guys were like 13 or 14 when you started iCarly, I figured that we do something a little more mature but still maintain the humor that iCarly is known for."

"What exactly do you have in mind?" asked Freddie.

"Well, I was thinking about playing the hot seat."

"The hot seat," I continued, "is a game when one of us sits on a chair and we have to answer questions as quickly as possible. The catch is that the fans are going to be asking these questions. The game is over when you take more than five second to provide an answer. What do you think?"

"I like it," said Freddie.

"Ugh, of course you do," Sam rolled her eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean, Sam?" Freddie crossed his arms at her.

"That you are a total suck up!"

"SAM! We were having a civil conversation and you just had to ruin it with your pessimism."

"Stop using words I don't understand."

I groaned as they began to get into another heated fight. Ever since their break up, they have been at each other's throats non stop, looking for any excuse to get into a fight and I was sick of it.

"That's is!," I yelled. "Everyone OUT. Rehearsal is over. GO HOME. Brad and I will discuss what segments to put on this week's iCarly. BYE"

"Good," said Sam and ran out of the room before everyone else. Soon Freddie apologized and walked away.

"Hey, I can stay here too right?" asked Gibby.

"OUT!" I yelled and he ran out of the studio, scared.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Brad." I sighed and plopped down on a bean bag chair.

"I'm used to it," he said.

"How can you be used to that. I've been dealing with that ever since I was a little girl and it annoys me more every day."

"Maybe that's just their way of bonding."

I raised my eyebrow.

"I highly doubt that, Brad."

"Why? They've done it before, right?"

"Yes, but it's different this time. Sam and Freddie are no longer frenemies. They are exes."

I threw my head back in frustration.

"Why are you so stressed about this? They seem to be perfectly fine fighting each other. It's better than not talking... right?"

"I am stressed because we can't even last five minutes during rehearsals. I'm surprised they can manage to stay professional when we are on air but when we're off, they go at it like to monsters."

To say that I was desperate would be a major understatement. This wasn't my problem anyway but I was letting it get to me. I really didn't believe what Sam and Freddie told me when they broke up. Their reason is not believable. They were fine before despite their differences. I refused to sit around and let them hurt not only the show but themselves. Clearly they miss each other and they hide behind their insults. I decided to take action.

"I got it!" I sat up to face Brad.

"Got what?"

"We are going to find out exactly why Sam and Freddie broke up and get them back together." I was smiling like an idiot and I bet I seemed a lot more eager than normal.

"Oh no, Carly. You are not dragging me into this," said Brad and jokingly made a cross with two of his fingers in front of my face.

"What do you mean?" I really didn't know what he meant by dragging him into it.

"The last time you tried to meddle with someone's love life, Sam and I were in a very uncomfortable situation. Need I remind you that you left us alone in a dark room at school."

"Ugh," I groaned. "I am so sorry but I really did think that Sam liked you at the time."

"And what made you think that?"

"Well, there are no way on Earth that she would ever like Freddie. She was always so repulsed by it so I figured that it was you. Besides, I always though that you two would make a cute couple"

"Eh. I like Sam but she's really not my type." He shrugged his shoulders and looked down.

"So what is your type?"

"You know what, Carly? I think I'm gonna help you get Sam and Freddie back together. What should we do?"

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><p>After faking choking on a cherry, I was sent home. Brad faked sickness as well and we agreed to meet at the loft. Before trying to figure out why exactly Sam and Freddie broke up, we figured that we should try and get some information from their moms. Sam and Freddie are stubborn and Brad said that they might not tell us right away so talking to Ms. Puckett and Benson should be where we start this little mission of ours.<p>

"Okay so we have a few hours before school is over so we need to move quickly," I said as I paced back and forth in the studio.

"So who are we going to talk to first?"

"Oh, that's easy. We're going to talk to Freddie's mom first?"

"Why?"

"Well, that woman hates any girl who stands next to Freddie. She already hates me for making him interested in girls... you know, back when he used to like me. Sam's mom is weird but she's nice to me at least."

"Okay, let's go but you are doing all the talking."

I laughed as we made our way out and in front of Freddie's apartment. We knocked on the door a few times before she opened. She had a bowl of cut up cucumbers on her hands.

"Oh it's you. What do you want?"

"Hi, Mrs. Benson," I greeted her nervously. "Can we come in?"

"I guess," she said and she let us in. Before we sat down, she sprayed our butts with anti bacterial spray.

"So... what are you making?" I figured that making small talk would soften her up to me a bit.

"Cucumber cups for my Freddie. He's been mopey lately."

Bingo. This the perfect bait.

"Mopey? Why is he mopey?"

"Why do you want to know, Carly?"

"Uh...," Brad interrupted. "Actually, Ms. Benson. We've noticed that Freddie has been acting 'mopey' too and we're concerned. We figured that if we figure out why he is upset, we can find a good solution."

Ms. Benson sighed and placed the bowl of cut up cucumbers down and sat down next to us.

"I really don't know why he is so upset. It's been exactly two months since he started coming home from school, not bothering to do homework, napping all the time, and not eating any of the food I make him. I don't know what to do anymore. Nothing works."

Exactly two months is what she said. Sam and Freddie broke up exactly two months ago. Was he upset because he was no longer with Sam? Was he THAT upset that he was just moping around the house completely feeling enthusiastic about anything? I had to figure out what her feelings were on their break up.

"Ms. Benson? I know you never approved of Sam and Freddie's relationship but we really want to know how you feel. Were you happy when they broke up?"

"Broke up?" she looked at me with a confused look on her face but I could tell there was a hint of happiness in there. "When did they break up?"

"Two months ago. Freddie didn't tell you?"

"No. Why would he not tell me?"

"I think I know why," said Brad.

"Why? Why do you think my Freddie bear didn't trust me enough to tell me about this?"

"Calm down. I don't think he didn't tell you because he doesn't trust you. He probably didn't tell you because you didn't approve of their relationship in the first place. You'd probably be happy and telling him how much he is better off instead of comforting him. He probably didn't want anyone rubbing it in his face. As odd as it may sound, those two really care about each other and we want them to realize that breaking up over a small issue is stupid."

Wow. Go Brad. And he didn't even want to be involved. I looked at him proudly. I didn't think he would be so good at giving advice. If it was just me and Ms. Benson, we'd be at each other's throats and we would not have made any progress at all.

"So how do you feel about them breaking up, Ms. Benson?" I asked her.

"Well... the last thing I ever wanted was for Freddie to be with some delinquent who will do nothing but corrupt my poor baby..."

"BUT..."

"But... the last thing I really want is for my Freddie bear to be unhappy. If you tell anyone I said this, I will deny it. I will put a chip in your head and torture you when you least expect it, you got that? Both of you."

She sighed deeply before continuing.

"If that criminal really makes Freddie happy, then please, make him happy again. I can't stand Freddie being sad and mopey."

"Yay!" I jumped out of the sofa and clapped happily. No one could ever figure out how to convince Freddie's mom to approve of his relationship with Sam but all Brad had to do was stay cool, calm, and collected.

"We'll do whatever we can to make Freddie happy again, I promise," I said and I jumped to hug her.

"Okay okay, get off me. Go back to school. You shouldn't be here anyways."

"Uh... no, I was sent home because I choked on a cherry. BYE."

And with that, we were out of Freddie's apartment. Talking to his mom was a lot easier than I thought. I was very happy that she came to her senses and finally approved of Sam and Freddie's relationship. Of course, Brad and I agreed to not mention our plan of getting them back together to anyone, especially to Gibby who likes to open his mouth to anyone.

Now that Freddie's mom was taken care of, it was time to talk to Sam's mom.

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><p>Brad and I took a bus to Sam's house which was about half an hour away. I knew that her mom would be around because she usually works at night and sleeps the day away. I just hoped that she was awake so she could let us in. We arrived in front of Sam's house and I knocked on the door. Lucky for us, her mom answered after the 20th knock.<p>

"Ugh... Carly, you know I like having you around but could you come back later? I'm exhausted," she said. Her eyes were squinted because of the sun.

"Actually, Pam, this is an emergency. We need to talk to you about Sam."

"Oh gosh, what did that crazy blond do this time?"

"Nothing. At least, nothing bad. Can we come in?"

"Sure, but make it quick."

We walked in and I heard Brad whisper to me that he thought Sam's place is really nice and I agreed. Sam always gave her house a terrible reputation but in reality, she has it good. She lives in a two story house with plenty of bedrooms Her house is not messy at all. Pam, although not the best mother, sure knows how to keep an apartment looking nice and clean. I never understood why Sam felt so ashamed of it. Maybe because people believe she lives in some trashy apartment so she gives them what they want.

We sat down in the living room while we waited for Pam who went to the kitchen. She came back with some mineral water.

"So... how can I help you? Did Sam tell you to skip school or something? You want me to punish her?"

"Oh... no Pam. I chocked on a cherry and I was sent home." Since when is Pam concerned about anyone skipping school?

"What about him? Did he choke on a cherry as well?" Pam is so not gullible.

"No ma'am," he assured her. "We actually came because we're a little concerned about Sam. Has she been mopey lately?"

"How would I know? I barely see her."

This was going to be harder than it sounded.

"Well... when you DO see her, has she been quiet or seemed sad at all?"

"Hmm. Come to think of it, our therapist made us hang out at the park last week. Something about being at one with nature. Anyways, I asked her if she wanted to throw branches at skateboarders so they could trip on them and she didn't want to do it. We spent the entire day on the swings, not saying a word to each other. Sometimes, she grabs food from the fridge and locks herself up in her room for hours at a time. Now, that might seem normal because Sam loves food, but she packed like five times more food than what she normally eats."

Now, you know Sam is in a depressed mood when she refuses to inflict pain on others. She loves watching people get hurt, especially when it's sports related and she rejected her mom's offer. It's easy to tell when Freddie is sad because he makes it obvious but when Sam is sad, you could figure out a Rubik's cube faster than you could figure out what she is feeling other than hungry.

"I have to as you, Pam, you DO know that Sam and Freddie dated right?"

"Oh please, how could I not know? Before leaving for work every night, I could hear them video chatting and acting like all your gross lovey dovey couples. It's sickening. BUT, that was the happiest I've seen her so I didn't complain. Why? Did they break up?"

Oh gosh, Sam didn't tell her mom either. I could understand Freddie not telling hi mom but Sam's mom is a lot less judgmental. I'm sure she wouldn't rub it in her face. She'd probably buy her more food as a cope mechanism.

"Well... yeah, they break up because they said that it wasn't working out but I really don't believe it. I thought that maybe you'd know why but she didn't tell you either. Sam and Freddie have been at each other's throats since they broke up. It's a lot more intense than normal and we can't take it. If there is anything you can do to help us get them back together, please let us know Pam."

"Oh don't worry. I don't plan on letting her let Freddie be the one that got away. She finally found herself a decent young man and she's going to let him go like that? I don't think so."

"Oh Pam," I laughed. "You're the best. We're going to go okay?"

Pam walked us to the door and then we took the bus back to my place.

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><p>The next day, after school, Sam, Freddie, Brad, Gibby, and I headed to the studio for rehearsals. I had to force Sam and Freddie to come with us right after school to avoid any tardiness. I'd be lying if I said that Sam and Freddie didn't fight but it wasn't one of their intense fights. It was actually refreshing seeing them fight casually and then move on to what really mattered at the moment which was iCarly. We were set for the next show.<p>

After rehearsals, Gibby was on my computer looking at videos of singing puppies while I made some lemonade. I bought lemonade powder, mind you, because everyone else hates the lemonade that I make. Brad was also in the kitchen with me making some fudge after a great rehearsal.

"Hey, hey, hey," I heard Brad whisper to me as he tapped my shoulder. "Look!"

He pointed towards Sam and Freddie. They were in the living room, sitting next to each other and watching tv. Sam looked like she was ready to pass out. She probably didn't get enough sleep because I noticed her constant yawning during rehearsals.

"I am falling asleep here. Fredturd, put something that I like before I pass out would ya?" asked Sam in an obnoxious tone.

"No way, I got the remote firs-" he was cut off.

Brad and I watched them closely. Sam must have been very sleepy because she fell asleep right now Freddie's shoulder. We expected Freddie to casually and carefully push her off of him but he didn't. he stared at her sleeping figure for a moment and then turned off the TV. Freddie was allowing Sam to sleep on his shoulder. I fought the urge to "AWW" out loud but they looked so cute. Freddie leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes as if he was savoring the moment, wanting to let it all sink in before it was time for Sam to wake up.

I decided to let them have their moment and I told Brad and Gibby to hang out in the studio with me.

About an hour later, we walked downstairs and Freddie was gone. Sam was laying on the couch with a blanket covering her body. A few moments after, I received a text from Freddie saying that he had to go back home because his mom made him special snacks. I laughed quietly because I knew that she made him those awesome cucumber cups. Spencer told me that he tried them before and they were awful.

I heard groaning coming form the couch. Sam slowly got up from the couch and looked at me confusedly.

"Uh... who put that blanket on me?" she asked groggily.

"I don't know," I said, trying to play it cool. Then I heard a loud rumbling.

"Give me some food, Shay. I'm starving."

"Okay okay."

As I walked to the kitchen, both Brad and Gibby said that they had to go home. All too soon, it was just Sam and me. This was the perfect opportunity to talk to her about Freddie. I wanted to know the real reason why they broke up and I wanted it ASAP. With a tray filled with ham, cheese, and crackers, I approached Sam on the table and we ate silently for a few minutes.

"So, Sam, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure Carls? What's crackin'?

"Well... okay please don't get mad at me. I just want to know something."

"What?"

"I want to know the real reason why you and Freddie broke up." I said it so fast, I wasn't sure if Sam heard me. I also ducked for cover because I felt like Sam was going to hurt me for even mentioning Freddie. He has been a forbidden topic in our conversations since the last time we talked about the break up.

"Ugh... I'm telling you Carls, it wasn't working out."

"Well, I don't believe it. You guys were fine and then you break up out of nowhere? What's up with that?"

"Carly, I am not having this conversation. The last thing I want to do is introduce you to my fist." She walked out of the kitchen angrily and ran upstairs towards the studio. I ran after.

"I know you're not capable of hurting me Sam. All I want is for you to be happy and clearly you're not."

"And how do you know that?" By now, we were both in the middle of the empty studio, screaming at each other.

"Come on Sam. Everyone with a brain knows that you just act like Freddie is repulsive to hide the fact that you miss him. Why can't you just set your differences aside and get back together already?"

"I for one do not miss Freddie. I am over that geek. Why are you so obsessed with this?" She looked very angry. I'd be too but this was for her own good.

"Yes you do. Just admit it, Sam. Admit that you miss him. Admit that you want to get back together with him."

"No!"

"Yes."

"NO!"

"YES! SAM JUST ADMIT IT DAMN IT!" I was so angry that she didn't want to admit it that I started cursing.

"FINE!" She screamed in my face, basically pushing me to the ground. "I miss him. Is that what you want to hear? Do you really want to know why we broke up, HUH?"

I gulped and nodded, afraid to even speak in fear that she would scream at me again. She has never yelled at me like that.

"Freddie and I overheard you and Spencer talking about your relationship with that one girl that used to babysit him. You your stupid advice made us realize how different we are and that we couldn't force ourselves into a relationship so we took a break. And you wanna know what the worst part is? Freddie acts like nothing ever happened. He told me he loved me and now he acts like he hates me so I have to act like it doesn't bother me. Are you happy?"

"Sam I am so sorr-"

"It's okay, Carly. You didn't know."

And with that, she walked away. I heard a loud slam on the door when she left and I was left speechless. I thought this whole time that there was a completely different reason behind their break up but it turned out that I was the reason they broke up... indirectly at least but it was still my fault. Then I began to replay our fight in my head.

_He told me he loved me._

_He told me he loved me._

_He told me he loved me._

_He told me he** LOVED** me._

Oh my gosh. Freddie told Sam that he was loved her? I covered my mouth with my hand in surprise. This was more serious than I thought. I threw myself onto a bean bag chair feeling like a complete jerk. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I had nothing to do with their break up, I was still the reason for their break up. Of course they didn't want to tell me the truth. They knew that the guilt would consume.

I had to make it right. I wanted them to get back together so they wouldn't hurt iCarly but screw iCarly.

My best friends are in love and I was the reason for their separation. I more determined than ever to get them back together.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? I really want Carly to be involved in this story because I tend to neglect her in most of my work so I decided to make her a major part of this story.<strong>

**So I want to know, do any of you ship Carly with Brad? There is going to be a lot of Carly and Brad development in this story so please look forward to it. Also, what did you think of that cute Seddie scene?**

**Please review and let me know what you think.**


	3. Guilt

**Hey guys. Thanks for the lovely reviews. I wanted to say something before moving on with this chapter. I used to get pretty upset when I didn't receive at least ten reviews on a chapter which has always been like a personal goal of mine. It used to make me feel like I was writing for nothing but I am over that. The more I write, the more I realize that it's not the amount of reviews that matter. Just as long as I know at least one person enjoys what I write, I will continue to write. Again, thanks for the awesome reviews. If you are here because you have read my story, You Lose You Win, I am happy that you are sticking around. Hehe. Anyways, before I get any more corny, here is the next chapter. I think you guy are going to love it because a certain character from another Nick show that I love will make an appearance. **

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><p>Sam's POV<p>

I woke up around noon on a Saturday. Having people wake up at 6am every morning to be in school by 7 has always been a cruel and unusual punishment for me. Why can't school start at 2 and end at 2:04 huh? It's just not fair but I wasn't in the mood to be a grumpy witch. I got more than eight hours of sleep and I was feeling refreshed. I was in a very good mood waking up. This was the first time in a long time that I actually felt fully rested and I was actually in an okay mood since me and Freddie broke up. I took about 15 minutes to get ready and I started walking over to Carly's place.

I haven't really spoken to Carly since we had a little discussion in the studio yesterday. As much as I wanted to NOT talk about my relationship with Freddie, it was slowly killing me keeping it all inside. I snapped at her and I walked away. I was angry at first but then I began to feel guilty for treating her the way I did. She must have felt angry at me too for the way I treated her so I wanted to go over to her place to make up. After thinking it through, I knew that Carly only has good intentions and she didn't mean to step into such a touchy subject for me.

Freddie and I had a good thing going on. Everyone knows we were the farthest thing from perfect but like I said, what we had was good. Sure, we annoyed each other. Me with my aggressiveness and eating habits and him with his way of getting butt hurt over everything. At the end of the day, he always welcomed me with open arms and warm lips. He loved brushing my hair. He never failed to walk me down to the lobby and kiss me goodbye every night I left Bushwell. When we overheard Carly telling Spencer that he couldn't force a relationship to work, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was devastated because I realized that me and Freddie began this relationship all of a sudden without actually taking time to set our bickering aside and just get to know each other. We were at each other's throats since we were kids and then suddenly having a relationship was so new to us. It made so much sense to break up at the time but once we actually did break up, I just want to go back to holding him and going out with him.

Aside from your typical couple fights, my relationship with Freddie was great. It killed me knowing that I couldn't just tell him that I didn't want to stay broken up, that we could still be together and get to know each other at the same time. It killed me knowing that we basically declared our love for each other and then the next day act as if those words were never said. Sometimes I am convinced that I liked Freddie ten times more than he liked me. These type of things never make sense when they hit you in the face. Of all people, I never expected to fall in love Freddie and sure, he told me he loved me first but it honestly didn't feel that way. The day after we broke up, everyone got together to plan the next iCarly and we were back to the drawing board. We began to bicker more but this time, it wasn't just to joke around. The fighting felt serious. I was beginning to think that what he said to me was such a lie. But Freddie never lies about these things. I was conflicted but angry at the same time. I hated that we couldn't get along anymore but what was I supposed to do? Sit there and cy? I am Sam Puckett for bacon's sake. I refuse to let people treat me like a piece of crap so I treated him just as badly. I was angry that my first real relationship failed. I was angry because I felt like there was no way in hell Freddie and I could make it work again and that I would never find such a good guy like Freddie.

I felt like karma came back and bit me in the ass for the way I treated Freddie all the years that I have known him. Carly teased him too but he just brushed it off because she has always been a naturally kind person and despite his pathetic crush on her, she never told him to back off or to get lost. That's just not Carly. She still gave him the chance to be her friend. Maybe if I hadn't been so aggressive, then we wouldn't have bickered all those years and maybe our relationship would have worked out better. He told me he loved me just as I am but we can only spend so much time being broken up. Eventually, I stopped believing it.

Even though we did fight constantly, we did have our moments. Moments that make me not lose hope completely. When he is seriously upset, I try to make him feel better like the time we did iCarly in 3D. And I'll be stupid to deny that he hasn't shown his caring moments like when he said it was his idea to take me to the Fat Cake factory in Canada. Those moments give me slight hope but they were so rare that I'm surprised I have SOME hope left. But I still feel like I care more about him than he does me because he rarely shows a caring side towards me.

I made it to the Shay's loft only to find Spencer in the living room decorating a chainsaw with different colored fake mustaches. How Spencer gets his ideas is beyond me. I didn't even bother to ask him about his sculptures. I learned a long time ago that although his sculptures are amazing, you just can't question them.

"Sup, Spence?" I said as I walked in, not bothering to knock at all.

"Hey Sam, girl who never knocks," he said, not taking his eyes off his sculpture.

"Yeah…," I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to Carly's room. Is she there?"

"Yeah but I don't think you should go talk to her just yet?"

"Uh why not?"

"Well," he said as he left his sculpture and sat down on the couch. I sat next to him. "She's very upset right now and she's in the shower. She took a chair in there again so who knows how long she is going to be there."

Damn it. I made Carly upset and the last thing I needed was for her to be upset for my outburst. Of all people, she is the least person who deserves my wrath. I shouldn't have yelled at her but I couldn't control myself at the time. I had to make it better somehow.

"I know, I know that she takes long showers when she is upset but I'm going to talk to her anyways. Did she by any chance tell you why she is upset?"

"Nope," shrugged Spencer.

"Okay," I said and with that, I ran upstairs to her room.

I know Carly doesn't like it when I go to her house and I walk in without knocking and I knew she was going to get pissed for barging into her bathroom but I needed to tell her that there was no reason for her to feel upset over what happened. It only happened because I never spoke to anyone about it and I needed to let it out. She needed to know that I didn't mean to yell at her. It could have been a hobo but it was Carly instead. Carly never locks her bathroom so I just walked. I wasn't afraid of seeing her naked or anything because she has shower curtains and the shower door sort of has this effect that makes anything inside look blurry.

"Carly?" I called out.

"Sam? Oh my god, what are you doing here? Please leave. I'm showering." She was panicking.

"Relax, Shay. I'm not going to sneak a peek, Last time I checked, I don't play for that team. I just need to talk to you," I said seriously despite the little joke I threw in there.

"Okay but can we please talk when I'm done?" asked Carly.

"Carly, I know you. You're going to be there for another three hours and I'm not very patient."

She didn't say anything. I sighed.

"Okay, Carly. I just want you to know that if you're in here because of the way I treated you yesterday, then you should just get out. I'm not mad at you and I never was. I don't want you to feel upset or guilty. I understand if you want to be alone so I'll just help myself to some food from your fridge and then I'll bounce okay?"

"Okay, I'll call you later."

"Later Shay."

I left her bathroom and walked back downstairs. I really did feel bad for hurting her feelings but at least I told her that she had no reason to feel upset over what I said. She needed time to get over it so I decided to just spend the rest of the day at home. I honestly didn't want to be at Carly's anymore because she made me feel even more guilty. Besides, my mom was out of town and I loved having the house to myself. As I walked down the stairs towards the living room, I saw Freddie sitting on the couch watching Celebrities Underwater. Spencer was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you doing here?" I asked suddenly and I knew I scared him because he jumped a little before he turned around.

"Oh… I was going to pitch some ideas to Carly but Spencer said that she's upset so I'm just waiting for her to come downstairs. Do you know why she's upset?"

I sighed deeply and my back hunched over, I walked towards the couch and I sat down next to Freddie. I didn't say anything. I simply nodded.

"So why is she upset?"

"Doesn't matter," I responded flatly. I wasn't even in the mood to joke around or to make some kind of sarcastic comment at him.

"Are YOU okay?" he asked when he noticed the seriousness of my tone.

"Eh, she's upset because of me. I kind of snapped at her."

"And that makes you upset because…?" asked Freddie.

"I don't like it when Carly is upset because of me," I confessed.

"Hmmm…," he nodded a few times. It was awkwardly quiet between us for a while.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"I guess," I said.

"Why do you get so down when Carly gets upset because of you? When other people get angry or upset at you, you just brush it off."

I was quiet for a moment. I never really thought about it that way and I never really analyzed it but it's true. When other people are upset because of me, I really don't care. When Freddie or Gibby or Spencer are upset over me, I don't care as much as I care when it's Carly. I thought about it carefully. Since I wasn't really in a good mood anymore and I wasn't in the mood to act like a bitch, I decided to be honest with him.

"You of all people should know that I'm not the nicest person out there. I can't be like Carly. I've always been aggressive but I'm not like that completely. I know I have my flaws but I'm not a bad person. Carly is the only one who doesn't run away in fear when she sees me. She treats me like she treats everyone else. I respect that so if I ever do something to make her feel bad, I end up feeling worse because she doesn't deserve it. Out of everyone I know, she's been the one who cares the most…"

I let it all out. I didn't mean to but it happened and I couldn't do anything about it. Another awkward silence fell between us.

"Sam…," he said quietly. "You know the rest of us care about you right? I mean, we argue but I still care."

I don't know if he meant that romantically or in a friendly kind of way but I scoffed at him anyways.

"Yeah… right," I said in a whisper but it was loud enough for him to hear it. I lowered my head to look at the time on my phone and I left the apartment, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. I couldn't really figure out at that moment why I was upset over what he said. I thought about it as I walked back home. He said he cared but there has been times when he claimed that I didn't care about him so I guess it was just natural for me to assume that he didn't care back. Just as I was beginning to fee a little better and maybe starting to get over Freddie, he had to somehow pull me back in but I refused to give him the satisfaction of his words getting to me. No way, no how.

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><p>Carly's POV.<p>

I was sitting on a chair as I let the hot water from my shower fall on me. I wanted to make things better between Sam and Freddie but I didn't know where to start. I let this guilt consume me. Sam and Freddie were so good together even though they fought constantly and I had to be their counselor. Despite all the arguing, I could tell just how much they cared about each other. If they were mature enough to set their differenced aside to make their relationship work, then I had to find away for them to be mature enough to put their current issues aside and get back together.

I tried so hard to convince myself that it wasn't my fault because what I said to Spencer and his babysitter had nothing to do with Freddie. But still, what I said caused them to break up and I felt responsible. I must have been in the shower for more than I planned because I was starting to feel suffocated and my hands were incredibly… er… raising like. Sam barged into my bathroom and we had a small talk before she left. She said that she wasn't mad at me and she didn't want me to be upset. Her words made me feel better but I was still feeling guilty.

When I got out of the shower, I noticed that it was three in the afternoon. I was in the shower for a very long time. I decided to stay in and not go out so I put on some sweats and a pair of Uggs. I never wear them in public but they are just so comfortable to wear around the house. The loft was unusually quiet since Sam, Freddie, Gibby, and Brad are always around so I decided to go up to the studio to see if anyone was there. It was empty. I checked my room and no one was there. That was so odd.

Not having anyone in the loft made me feel a little more upset but I shrugged it off. It was a Saturday, anyways so everyone was probably busy. When I made my way downstairs, I noticed Brad sitting on the couch. He was watching something about computers on the TV.

"Hey Brad. What are you doing here?"

"Oh… I just wanted to see if you talked to Sam yesterday. Freddie was here for a while but he left a few minutes ago. He said you were upset about something. Are you okay?"

"I'm better," I said and I sat down next to him. "And yes, I did talk to Sam yesterday. She told me why she and Freddie broke up."

"So what happened?" he asked and we both moved so that we were facing each other. I almost wanted to giggle because we looked like two gossiping girls.

"Well, when Spencer was dating his old babysitter, I told them that they couldn't force their relationship to work. Sam and Freddie overheard me and they felt like what I said applied to them as well so they broke up. Right now everything is one sided though. Sam said that she feels bad about their fighting. She said that Freddie acts like nothing ever happened between them so she acts like it too. They are fighting for nothing, Brad. What are we going to do?"

I laid my head down a bit, feeling stressed again.

"I don't know. We can't leave them alone, they might just fight again."

"Ugh but that's all that comes to mind," I whined.

"I guess we just have to find some kind of trigger. We need to come up with a plan that makes them realize that what they are doing is dumb. It need to be natural so that none of them suspect that we have been planning on getting them back together. They both have to get it through their heads."

I smiled.

"Wow, Brad. I knew you were smart but I didn't think you were a genius. Thank you," I leaned towards him and gave him a big hug. When I let him go, his cheeks were red.

"Yeah uh… let's go to the studio and come up with a plan okay?"

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><p>Despite our optimistic attitudes towards our plan to get Sam and Freddie back together, we couldn't come up with any good ideas. Locking them up was no use like Brad said. Accidentally tripping Sam so that Freddie could catch her and they could somehow kiss was too unrealistic. We decided to quit for the day and Brad went home.<p>

A few days later, Sam ,along with Freddie and Gibby, went to the Groovy Smoothie while Brad and I stayed in the studio. We were coming up with some ideas for the next iCarly but we used the time we had while they were away to come up with some good ideas. I was so desperate that I was actually googling ideas. Me and Brad were sitting on one bean bag chair together so we could both look at the laptop screen at the same time.

I was frustrated and I began to rub my temples in hopes of relaxing a bit. I heard a little ding and I noticed that Tori was online. Tori was the girl I met in LA. When I found out that she and my ex boyfriend, Steven, were seen together, we decided to investigate and it turned out that he was cheating on the both of us. After we humiliated him all over the internet, we became really good friends. Then an idea clicked.

"Hey, my friend Tori is online," I said and I opened a chat box so I could IM her.

"She's the girl you met in LA right?" he asked.

"Yeah. We were both dating the same guy and apparently he was cheating on us with each other. Stupid huh?"

"I'm really sorry about that."

"Ancient history," I smiled at him.

I sent her an IM and she quickly requested that we video chat. I clicked on accept.

"Hey Carly hey. What's up?" said Tori in a very happy tone. "Who's your friend?"

"Hey Tori. This is my friend Brad. He works with us here at iCarly."

"Oh that's great. So what's up guys? What's new?" she asked.

"I need a favor but please don't tell anyone. You know my friends Sam and Freddie right?"

"Of course! Who doesn't? Are they still together?"

"No, unfortunately…"

"Awww… what happened? They were so cute together."

"So I'm guessing you 'ship' them huh?" I asked, putting air quotes around the word ship. Our fans taught us what that means.

"Oh yeah. Are you planning on getting them back together?"

"What? How did you know?" My eyes were wide in shock. Was I that predictable?

"Oh I just guessed. People here at Hollywood Arts always come to me for couples counseling. It gets annoying sometimes but I like helping people out."

I explained it all to her. How they suddenly broke up and told us that they just weren't working out to how Sam snapped at me when she told me the truth. I told her about how we're trying to get them back together but we just can't seem to come up with any good ideas.

"Hmm… I see," said Tori. "I got it!"

"You do? Please tell me," I asked desperately.

"Sam can sing right? I mean, I saw her singing that day we met but we were all singing together that I couldn't tell if she's good or not."

I was wondering where this was going.

"Well… Sam is a good singer but I've never really seen her singing around anyone except for me. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I ask because here at Hollywood Arts, me and my friend Andre always sing during our school's events to let out our feelings. I once dated this guy named Ryder and when I found out that he was just using me, Andre wrote a good song for me to sing to him. He was so embarrassed because we out him on the spot. Andre fell in love with one of my friends, or I don't know if we're friends or not but whatever. Anyways, he fell in love with Jade but she has a boyfriend. So he sang the song to her just to let it out. She doesn't know that it was about her but the point is that singing gets the message across. Get Sam to sing a song. It might get Freddie's attention and it might make him see. Then he might want to talk to her. All you have to do is get Sam to agree to sing this song."

"That's a great idea," said Brad. "We get Sam to sing a song that somehow reminds Freddie of their relationship and everything will flow naturally from there. At least, I hope but nevertheless, it is a great idea."

"Yeah, Tori. Man I owe you one. But what song should we make her sing?"

"Use one of my songs. I am taking a songwriting class and we're supposed to write a song about a previous relationship. I wrote this song about my ex, Danny. My teacher also wants us to explore different genres. I'm more into pop so this song is a lot slower and it's acoustic. I already recorded it and Andre recorded an instrumental version. Sam can sing using that. I will email them to you. If your viewers like them, then I know I did a good job."

"Wow, Tori thanks," I said with a wide grin on my face.

"No problem, Carly. Hey I have to go, my annoying sister wants me to get her cream of wheat."

And with that, our video chat ended.

"She's good," said Brad.

"Yeah. So how do convince Sam to sing this song? She's not that gullible."

"That's true. Maybe I could send you guys a fake email suggesting a talent show. You and Gibby might have to sing something too just so she doesn't get suspicious. Sam may not get the best grades but she is not dumb."

"As long as she agrees to it, then I'm all for it. Thank Brad."

I closed the very little distance between with another tight hug. My lips curved into a smile as I hugged him. I pulled back and I smiled at him. His cheeks were red again and my heart began to beat a little faster. I cleared my throat and stood up when Sam, Freddie, and Gibby came back with smoothies.

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><p>The next day, I checked my email as well as the iCarly fan email and I got everything that I was waiting for. Tori sent me the song along with an instrumental version and the lyrics. I listened to the song and read the lyrics as I was walking home after school. The song was really good and it was a bit scary how much it actually reminded me of Sam and Freddie's relationship. I was beginning to this that this plan was too good to be true. I checked the iCarly fan email and it took me a while to find Brad's fake email but I finally found it. Everything was going according to plan.<p>

Later that day, I was in the studio with Brad, Sam, and Gibby. Freddie was with his mom. He said that she wanted to spend more time with him so they went out to buy a bunch of puzzles and they solved them together which was perfect on our part. We didn't want Freddie to know about the whole singing thing because it would sort of ruin the surprise. We wanted him to be amazed with Sam, so amazed that it would maybe help him give him that courage to want to ask her out again.

I was on my laptop when I finally put the plan in motion.

"Hey, check out this email I got from one of our fans," I said and I gestured the three to come closer.

"What does it say?" asked Sam.

"Dear iCarly, my name is Cory and I am a huge fan of your webshow. I was watching clips from your very first webcast and it gave me an idea. I would love to see Carly, Sam, and Gibby showcase a talent, preferably singing. I especially want to see Carly and Sam sing. I hope you take this into consideration."

"Hmm… not bad," said Brad, nodding. "I think we should do it."

"No way." Sam shook her head in disagreement. "I am not singing on iCarly."

"Why not, Sam? I think we should do it," I said.

"No!"

"Okay, I'll make you a deal," I said, hoping to just say it before I began to regret it. "You pick ANY song for me to sing. ANY song and I won't object. I'll pick your song but I promise it won't be embarrassing and we can both pick Gibby's song."

Ugh… I didn't want to give Sam power but sometimes I forgot how hard it is to convince Sam to do something she doesn't really agree with. I figured that letting her pick a song for me would let her warm up to the idea of singing on iCarly but I know that she was going to dress me up in something ridiculous and make me sing something I am not comfortable with. She made a little wincing face and I knew that I convinced her.

"Okay, Shay but don't make me sing some cheesy pop song that is all over the radio."

"Yay, thank you so much Sam," I jumped and I gave her a big hug.

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><p>"THIS IS NOT FAIR!" I whined as Sam applied black eye shadow on my eyelids.<p>

"Yes it is. You said I could pick ANY song and you wouldn't object. If you're going to make me sing THAT, then I am going to make you sing THIS," she laughed.

The plan was working wonderfully but unfortunately, it wasn't working too much in my favor. After listening to the song and after a lot of convincing, I finally got Sam to agree to singing the song that Tori sent me. She was a little suspicious at first but then she added insult to injury by saying that no way I could come up with a devious plan that will make Freddie fall in love with her again. I swear, if she could apply that smart brain of hers into our schoolwork, she would be on the honor roll. But I wasn't too upset over what she said. I didn't want to start another argument with her in fear that it would ruin the plan.

Since Sam had full control on what I was supposed to sing, she decided that it would be brilliant to do my make up as well. She put me in clothes I would never wear and did my make up in a way that I would never wear as well. At least SHE looked nice in her purple striped shirt and brown leather jacket. The things I have to go through for my best friends.

"Fine." I crossed my arms and I pouted as she finished with my make up.

The guys walked into the studio just as Sam was done with my make up.

"Okay, we have 30 seconds till we… HOLY CHIZ!"

Way to be subtle Freddie.

"Nice to see you too," I responded sarcastically to him.

Brad walked in and I could tell he was trying very hard not to laugh. He turned to Freddie. Freddie didn't know about us singing on the show. We had a week to rehearse our songs and we practiced when he wasn't around. I asked Brad if he could tell Freddie at the last minute that we added a new part to the show.

"Hey Freddie… we sort of planned something at the last minute so we're going to have to cut off the fun with bacon skit. Is that cool?"

"Uh… sure? Why didn't you guys tell me you were going to change the show."

"Hey, Fredturd, we have like ten second left."

"Okay, everyone in their positions… and in five, four, three, two."

"Hey, welcome to iCarly. I'm Carly and this is Sam."

"And if you are wondering why Carly looks like a hobo, she'll explain that right now," said Sam and nodded to the camera with an evil grin on her face.

"One of our fans named Cory asked me, Carly, and Gibby to sing a song for you guys so we're each going to sing a song throughout the show. For now, here's Gibby."

Sam and I moved aside and Gibby took center stage.

"GIBBY," he said out loud in his cocky tone and took off his shirt. I regretted telling him to sing the song he was about to sing but if I was going to embarrass myself, so was he. He took a microphone and began to sing.

"I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy, it hurts."

Everyone in the room burst into laughter as he sang the song. He was totally into the song and he even took some baby oil to rub on his belly. I looked over at Freddie for a while and I began to laugh even more. He looked mortified but he gave me a thumbs up, meaning that we had a lot of viewers. I guess making fools out of ourselves was totally worth it because it was funny and our viewers enjoyed it.

"I'm too sexy for this song," he finished and threw the microphone on the floor and walked away. We all cheered as Sam and I returned to the middle of the studio.

"Well," Sam said in between laughs. "That was Gibby. And you little boys how like seeing Gibby topless, I hope you enjoyed that because that's probably the last time we make him do that."

We moved on to our other planned skits and before I knew it, it as my turn to sing. I was so scared, especially because the song had a few bad words but Sam let me change them so I wouldn't sound too vulgar.

"Okay, now it's Carly's turn to sing. I picked out the song and I think you guys are going to enjoy this ten time more than Gibby. She will put Gibby to shame," bragged Sam.

"Okay," I said nervously as I picked up the microphone and Sam walked over to the car. "Here goes…"

I stood nervously in the middle of the studio by myself and I felt my hands shake a little. For some reason, I was more afraid of Brad making fun of me more than the rest of the world. Even though he has seen me rehearse. I didn't even understand why I was afraid of Brad watching me but I brushed it off. The music began to play and I began to whip my hair back and forth and jumping up and down. I didn't sing the whole song so I just started where I felt the most comfortable.

Here goes nothing…

Do it for your best friends…

Should I be feeling bad? No  
>Should I be feeling good? No<br>It's kind of sad I'm the laughing stock of the neighborhood  
>You would think that I'd be moving on<br>But I'm a sucker like I said  
>Effed up in the head, not!<br>Maybe she just made a mistake. I should give her a break  
>My heart will ache either way<br>Hey, what the hell, what you want me to say?  
>I won't lie that I can't deny<p>

I must have looked stupid while I was singing. The original singer of this song sings it with an angry voce and there I was, singing with such a girlie voice while I thrashed around the studio. I looked over at Brad for a little while. While Freddie continued to look mortified and Sam and Gibby laughed their heads off, Brad was on the side, smiling. He wasn't making fun of me. He looked like he was enjoying my performance which made me feel even better. The chorus came on and I turned to look at the camera angrily to make the song more convincing.

I did it all for the nookie, the nookie  
>So you can take your cookie<br>And stick it up your, yeah!  
>Stick if up your, yeah!<br>Stick if up your, yeah!  
>Stick it up your, yeah!<p>

I finally finished the song and I tried to catch my breath. I was tired but I had to admit that I had a little bit of fun. Sam and Gibby were still laughing like a bunch of maniacs so I had to do the next skit without them. By the end of the show, it was time for Sam to sing Tori's song. I was very nervous because as flawlessly as our plan was working so far, we had no idea if Freddie was going to do exactly what we predicted.

"Okay, we hope you enjoyed us messing with Lewbert again. If you have any ideas on how we can improve our prank… ing skills, please let us know."

"And now," Sam interrupted. "Tis the moment I have been dreading all day. It's time for me to sing a song that Carly forced me to sing. It's not as funny as the last two but if you guys like it, then I guess it's okay with me."

"A couple of weeks ago," I said, completely lying, "my friend Tori Vega from Los Angeles sent me this song that she was working on for her songwriting class. I really like the song so I thought that Sam should sing it. Shout out to all the kids of Hollywood Arts. You're going to be famous someday."

"Okay, okay, enough history. Let's get this over and done with."

I stepped off to the side and a pushed a button on Freddie's cart or whatever you want to call it and a soft acoustic tune began to play. Sam took a stool and sat on it as she held the microphone and brought up towards her mouth. I sort of felt bad for Sam because she had this miserable look on her face and I knew that she didn't want to go through with it but I knew that it was going to pay off. Freddie was going to see what an amazing singer she is and he'll hopefully realize what he's missing and will want to get back together with her. I couldn't handle living with the guilt if the plan failed.

Sam closed her eyes, took a deep breath and began to sing.

_Cause you are my baby_  
><em>I could never let you, no I can't let go<em>  
><em>Can't live without <em>  
><em>You're the only one for me, always<em>  
><em>I just wanna stay in your love<em>  
><em>I just wanna feel your heart<em>  
><em>I just wanna feel you, hold you, see you once again<em>  
><em>I can't wait, I can't wait to hate you<em>  
><em>But I still believe we belong together, baby<em>

As much as Sam said she hated the idea and hated the song, I could kind of tell that she let the lyrics get to her. She sang the song amazingly during rehearsals but she was perfect during the live taping. I had a feeling that she really analyzed the song and maybe realized that she can somehow relate to it.

_Why do you leave me now_  
><em>Baby really want you now<em>  
><em>Bye, bye. Don't say goodbye<em>  
><em>'Cause I really want to see you<em>  
><em>Always be my baby<em>  
><em>I know that you will always be mine<em>  
><em>Don't you know you can't escape me?<em>  
><em>'Cause you'll always be my babe<em>

_And every single day, I think of you_  
><em>I can never shake you off and get you off my mind<em>  
><em>I can't wait , I can't wait to hate you<em>  
><em>But I still believe we belong together.<em>

She sang the chorus one more time and man, did she sing it with emotion. When she was done, the studio was quiet. I think we were all amazed at how good of a singer Sam really is. I was frozen for a moment before I ran over towards her as she stood from the stool and smiled awkwardly at the camera.

"So there you have it folks. I hope you enjoyed this webisode of iCarly. Let us know what you though about our singing. Until next time, bye guys."

We both waved to the camera and the show was done. Sam excused herself because she needed to pee. I walked over to Brad and leaned towards his ear.

"What do you think Freddie is thinking?" I whispered in his ear. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

I watched Freddie as he was putting away his equipment and completely ignoring Gibby's comment about how oily his stomach was. He looked dazed. I noticed that his mouth was open and I assumed he was shocked.

"Wow," he breathed out. "She was amazing."

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><p><strong>I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's a little lengthy compared to what I normally write. It's almost 2:30am and I felt the need to upload this before going to bed.<strong>

**There were some cute Brad and Carly moments here. Their relationship will definitely develop more as the story progresses.**

**The song that Carly sang was "Nookie" by Limp Bizkit. I remember listening to this song a lot when I was little haha. The song that Sam sang is called "Always Be Mine" by Urban Zakapa. It's one of my favorite songs.**

**So the next chapter will be in Freddie's point of view and he will finally get the courage to ask Sam out again but like many multi chaptered fics, there will be a twist.**

**Review and please let me know what you think. Take care guys.**


	4. Unexpected

**Hey guys. I apologize for taking so long to update. School is kicking my butt right now but I'm on spring break so I decided to take advantage of the free time and get this baby up as soon as possible. This chapter is a good one in my opinion. There will be a cliffhanger type of thing in the end so enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Getting a good night's sleep was no longer something I did every night. I no longer slept in peace because thoughts clouded my mind. Thoughts of her. Thoughts of Sam. I wanted to run back to the studio and tell her the breaking up was a mistake and that we should try and work it out but no, our break up was mutual and respected the fact that we wanted to mature a little before giving our relationship another go. But the time I've spent without her has been agonizingly slow. I didn't want to wait for us to become more mature. I wanted to get back together with so bad but aside from the fact that it was mutual, other things held me back.<p>

I don't know what came over me when I told her I loved her the night we broke up. The reason why I decided to try out a relationship with Sam was because she was the very first girl to REALLY like me. Not because I'm a web celebrity or because I have, and I quote Gibby, "a boyish smile." Sam's feelings towards me were truly genuine and her confessing her feelings towards me made me see her in a new light. The more time we spent together since we started iCarly, the more I cared about her. I denied it of course because Sam and I were not friends. We were never friends and that's how everyone saw us. That's how I saw us and I'm sure that's how she saw us. But all the time we spent together really proved to show us that between Sam and I, a friendship could be made. When she kissed me, I realized how much Sam was struggling deep inside. It must have taken so much courage to kiss me the way she did. I finally understood why she began to treat me worse then before but at the same time wanting to spend time with me and using Brad as an excuse. What pained me the most was how much she beat herself up for liking me. She was so damn sure I was going to humiliate her in front of millions of people because she knew she had done it to me in the past. But I'm not Sam. If I were a few years younger, I would have jumped at the opportunity to give her a taste of her own medicine but I know what it's like to struggle with your feelings. The night she kissed me, and the following week, I thought about her. I began to see all these little details about her that I was oblivious about until she finally kissed me at school that night. I noticed how her curls bounced along with her when she jumped for joy. I began to notice the color of her beautiful eyes, the way her face lit up when she finally gets her hands on a plateful of her favorite food, and her smile. Oh man, her smile is to die for. Then I realized that I liked Sam a lot more than I thought I did so I kissed her in front of millions of people around the world.

Being with Sam was not as easy but I didn't expect a relationship with her to be a walk in the park. We fought a lot and it drove our friends crazy to the point where they were wiling to break up apart. However, at the end of the day, we cared too much about each other to break up. It wasn't until we realized that maybe we were rushing our relationship. Maybe we were forcing us to work so we called it off. I would have beaten myself up if I didn't tell her how I truly felt about her when we broke up. I wanted her to know that my feelings for her are real and I wanted to give her hope for the future. When she said it back, my heartbeat was so fast, I almost fell but that kiss she gave me brought back the strength I needed to stay on my feet. She gave me hope as well.

Unfortunately, I almost lost hope completely. The pain of breaking was too much for me to handle and I don't know if she felt the same way. Somehow, we began acting like our relationship never happened. We fought constantly but this time, it wasn't playful and it wasn't petty. I was only going along with it because I didn't want to look like an idiot but I wondered if Sam was doing the same. She's such a good actress because sometimes I actually believed that she was beginning to hate me.

All the hope I lost was soon injected right back into me the day I heard her sing for the first time. It was such a beautiful song and the lyrics spoke to me. Somehow, and maybe I'm crazy for thinking, I started to believe that she sang that song to me. Maybe she sang it because she couldn't say it to me. Maybe, just maybe, Sam was still in love with me.

All I wanted to hold her and tell her to screw this break. I wanted to tell her that it doesn't matter how immature we may be. I wanted to grow mature with her and finally have that relationship that I could tell my grandchildren about. I wanted to start over with her but that meant I had to clear a few things with Carly first. Carly and I sort of dated for like 48 hours and I clearly remember telling her that I wanted to wait for my leg to get better and we could try dating again. My leg got better but we never talked about our relationship again. Sam is different. I didn't want to become more mature and then never talk about relationship again. I'm in love with her.

I walked out of my apartment and walked into the Shay's apartment which is always unlocked. How Spencer and Carly haven't been robbed is beyond me. The living room was empty and all I could hear is the faint beat of a Cuddlefish song coming from upstairs so I made my way towards Carly's room. Sure enough, Carly was in her room, reading a magazine. She turned down the music when she saw me walk in.

"Hey Freddie. How are you?" she greets me with a kind smile. She patted the space next to her bed and I sat down.

"I need to talk to you, Carly," I say in a serious tone. "It's about Sam."

Her face drops. She knew instantly that this wasn't going to be one of our playful conversations.

"What happened Freddie?" she asked.

"Do you know the real reason why Sam and I broke up?" I looked at her with a serious face, asking her to tell me the truth.

"I can't lie to you, Freddie," she sighed. "I know it's all my fault. You know that what I told Spencer had nothing to do with you."

"No, no, Carly. I don't blame you. I just kind of regret breaking up because of that. You know that song she sand on iCarly the other day?"

She nodded.

"Well… that song made me realize that arguing with Sam isn't going to get us back together. I need to get her back. I miss her so much!"

"Aww Freddie," Carly shrieks as she pulled me into a hug. "I'm so happy you finally realized that. I've been feeling so guilty. All I want is for you two to be happy."

"Thanks Carly," I smiled at her but it quickly faded. "I need to get some things straight first though."

"Okay…"

"I want to know why we never talked about OUR relationship once my leg got better," I asked her.

"Um… wow Freddie. I totally didn't expect that. Uh… I sort of figured that we came to a silent agreement about that. We were never serious about each other. I thing that it didn't work out between us because you and Sam are meant to be together."

"So you felt that too huh? I too didn't feel like we needed to talk about what happened between us but it's different with Sam. I want to be able to come to terms with whatever it is that we had. I don't want to wait till I'm a little more mature only to not talk to Sam about possibly rekindling our relationship. I'm in love with her."

"I understand Freddie and I'm glad we could finally come to terms with this." She smiled at me.

"Me too."

We hugged for a moment.

"So are you going to talk to Sam?"

"I am. Tomorrow I'm going to ask her to meet me after school so we can talk about getting back together. I refuse to believe that she didn't sing that for me the other."

"Aw Freddie, I'm so happy for you." She gave me another hug and we spent the rest of the day watching TV and talking about what exactly I was going to say to Sam.

* * *

><p>Brad's POV<p>

I stood in front of Carly's locker, checking my phone every once in a while as I waited to Carly. She sent me a text message saying she wanted to talk to me. I looked around, hoping to see her soon and I spotted her by the water fountain, waiting to get a sip of water. I smiled as I watched her closely.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice Carly before. I'm a huge fan of iCarly and I always thought Carly was beautiful. When I transferred to Ridgeway, I used to watch her from a distance. I wasn't stalking her but I'd see her in the hall sometimes and I sort of developed an infatuation with her that quickly went away when I realized what kind of guys she liked. Carly had some high standards. The guys she dated were tall, tan, and muscular. I was always short, pale, and skinny. I also noticed how she would make fun of Freddie sometimes for being a nerd and that's when I realized that I would never be with a girl like her. I began to think of her as shallow and superficial. I guy like me would never get a chance.

When I found out that the people of iCarly were hiring interns, I jumped at the opportunity. Not because I wanted to be close to Carly, I was over her by then, but because it was such a great opportunity for me. Getting to know these people made me realize that there is more to them than what they show on the web. They are a lot cooler and nicer when you get to know them, especially Carly. She trusted me and confided in me when she began to feel guilty over Sam and Freddie's break up. The more vulnerability she showed me, the more I appreciated the fact that she trusted me so much and the more my feelings for her grew. I don't know how it happened but I began thinking about her constantly, wanting to spend time with her. I decided to tell her about my feelings for her, hoping that she would feel the same way.

My heart started pounding against my chest when she was done drinking water and she smiled when she saw me as she made her way towards her locker.

"Morning, Carly," I said. Even a simple good morning was difficult to say around her.

"Hey Brad. I need to tell you something," she said eagerly.

"What is it?"

"Our plan to get Sam and Freddie together worked. Eep! I'm so happy." She jumped up and down before jumping into my arms. Her arms were tight around my neck.

"Really? That's great!" I said. "So they are back together now?"

"Not really. Freddie is going to ask Sam to meet him after school right about now," she said as she sort of shoved me so that we were looking at Freddie who didn't seem to notice that we were staring at him.

As we watched Freddie, I decided to not be a coward and ask Carly out.

"Uh… Carly? I need to tell you something," said quietly as if we were spying on Freddie, which we were… in a way.

"Yeah what is it?"

Okay, Brad. It's now or never.

"Would you uh… would like to go on a date with me?" I blurted out.

Carly's head snapped right up and she was staring at me with wide eyes.

* * *

><p>Freddie's POV.<p>

I could feel Carly and Brad's eyes burning a hole somewhere on my body as I stood by my locking, hoping to see Sam walk by. To be honest, they weren't exactly making this easy. The way they were staring at me made me so uncomfortable and I was beginning to sweat. I could feel my knees wobbling and I had to lean back against my locker to keep me from falling in an embarrassing manner.

Sam finally made her way through the hall and she was eating with a breakfast burrito in one hand and a fatcake on the other. I smiled and my nervousness eased a bit. It's little things like that that made me fall in love with her.

"Hey, Sam," I shouted because she was walking fast and she basically dashed right through the hall.

"What is it, Fredward?" she asked as she turned and walked towards me, taking a huge bite out of her burrito.

"I need to tell you something. It's very important but we don't have a lot of time because school is about to start. Meet me after school?"

"Eh sure. Later!" And with that, she walked away. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

The day went by a lot slower than I expected. Sam and I have only one class together and that's an elective. Our very last class of the day is painting. I wanted to take it because well, it was the more interesting electives out of the ones my counselor offered. Sam wanted to take it because she thought of it as an easy A but it turns out that she actually really enjoyed that class.

When we were in our final class (FINALLY), my legs were shaking like crazy. I just wanted the class to end so I could tell Sam that I didn't care about our differences. I just wanted to be with her, hold her, kiss her, brush her hair, and go on smoothie dates with her. I missed her so much.

Sam didn't sit next to be but she sat on the table next to me which was half empty. Sam was the only one who sat on a table by herself. I moved my head so that I was looking at her. She looked distracted. Either that or she didn't really care about being in the class. As soon as the tardy bell rang, a guy I've never seen before walked into the room and handed the teacher a paper. She looked around the room and told him that he could sit next to Sam.

"Welcome to Ridgeway," I heard the teacher say as this guy made his way towards the half empty table.

I looked at Sam, feeling sort of jealous that I wasn't the one sitting next to her but something made me feel uneasy. Sam shifted her eyes so that she could glance at the guy walking towards her. She looked down but she quickly looked up again and she sat straight. Her eyes widened and if I'm not mistaken, they seemed to lit up when she saw the new guy. A huge smile formed on her face as she stared at him. He sat down next to her and my hear broke. The new guy leaned in and gave her a big hug.

"Oh my god, Mickey. I can't believe this," she said, he smile only growing wider.

Mickey? So she knew this guy?

"Sam, I didn't expect to see you here on my first day," he said with an equally happy voice.

"When did you move back to Seattle?" asked Sam. "I haven't seen you since we were seven.

"I know. Well, my mom was feeling homesick and she recently broke up with her boyfriend. The move was so spontaneous but I'm glad to see that you haven't moved away.

"Me too."

I couldn't help watching them throughout the entire class. Maybe Sam was over me. Maybe it was all my fault. I should have fought to keep up together but I guess we gave up too easily. I was paying the price.

When the final bell rang, I didn't bother to wait for Sam outside. She was too busy catching up with her old friend Mickey. I walked out of class, not bothering to tell Sam that I didn't want to talk anymore.

* * *

><p><strong>Aww so that was kind of sad huh? Trust me, this won't last. I just really wanted there to<strong>

**be something that spark some drama. Also, I know this chapter is kind of short but it's a filler.**

**Please, please, please review. Your feedback is appreciated.**

**I'll try to update as soon as I can. In the next chapter, Carly and Brad may or may not go on their first date and we will finally know how Sam and Mickey know each other.**


	5. Blast From the Past

**I know it's been way over a year since I last updated. I am so incredibly sorry but I had writer's block, I was lazy, lacked motivation, and I was busy with other things. Also, the last season of iCarly wasn't exactly very enjoyable that I stopped watching it. I didn't even watch the series finale. I know what happened and I can't believe it. I guess that's what fan fiction is for huh? Lol**

**Anyway, I was going to delete this story altogether but I randomly decided to read it again and I realized that I have this story very well planned and I didn't want it to go to waste. Someone on Twitter even asked me if I was going to update so I figured why not. I understand if the people who have read and reviewed this story don't want to read it anymore but I hope you do. If you're a new reader, I hope you enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Carly's POV<strong>

I was anxious for two reasons. The main reason being that Brad completely surprised me by asking me out on a date. I was so focused on trying to figure out if Freddie had talked to Sam that I was completely oblivious to Brad having any sort of romantic feelings towards me. I really like Brad too so I couldn't say no to him. We just didn't have the time to make any plans and I didn't see him during lunch because he had a meeting.

The second reason being Freddie and Sam. Freddie told me that he was going to talk to her after school. I was waiting for them to walk by my locker, full of smiles and teasing each other a little bit but time seemed to be going by a little too slow for me. Why wasn't anyone by my locker already?

A few minutes later, brad approached me. My heart started pounding hard against my chest and I could feel the temperature of my cheeks rising just a little bit. He looked so cute in his skinny black pants, navy blue sweater, and his slightly messy hair. I always thought of Brad as an attractive and cool guy but I have never considered him as a guy I would want to date until we started spending more time together. All the time we spent trying to come up with crazy plans to get my two best friends back together made me realize that Brad is not only smart but he is very sweet and caring. This was the first time I found myself falling for a guy not because of their face, their body, or even saving my life but for just being himself around me. I found myself smiling as we stood next to me.

"Hi, Brad. How was your day?" I asked.

"Busy. How about yours?"

"The same. I need a break."

"Me too…"

We stood in an awkward silence. Neither of us wanted to talk about going out on a date together. I already said yes but why was it awkward all of a sudden? I had no idea what to say to him but he seemed like the kind of guy that doesn't ask out many girls so I decided to suck it up and say something.

"So Brad, what did you have in mind? For the date I mean?" I ask him as I felt my cheeks become warmer again.

"Well I, I um. I don't know. I kind of just said it, I didn't think about planning it out," he responded. He looked a little embarrassed as he looked down and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's okay. How about something simple like a movie at my place right now?" I suggested, hoping that would calm him down too. This wasn't exactly easy for me either.

"Okay." He sighed. "Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yeah…" I said, looking around.

"Freddie?"

"Yeah. He was supposed to talk to Sam about getting back together but-"

I stopped myself when I saw Freddie walk towards his locker, looking very sad. Did he talk to Sam? Did she reject him? Did he chicken out?! I was so curious. I watched him as he picked up a few books and walked towards me. He didn't say anything to me, he didn't even look at us.

"Freddie? What happened?" I managed to ask before he left.

"Nothing," he said and continued to walk away.

My heart broke. Why weren't things going according to plan? I just wanted Freddie and Sam to be happy but things never seem to work for them. I turned to look at Brad. He looked just as concerned.

"What do you think happened?" I asked him.

"Uh… I think that happened," he said as he pointed to Sam and a guy I have never seen walk towards us.

They were laughing together. Sam was never this nice to a guy. They looked like they have known each other for a long time. He wasn't unattractive. His skin was tan and his eyes were bright blue. He was just a little bit taller than Sam and dressed similarly to Brad. I stared at them as Sam reached her locker and opened it to take a few pieces of turkey bacon out for her and her friend.

"Sam? What are you doing?" My tone was a bit strong. I wasn't happy.

"Oh hey, Carls? Turkey bacon?" she put a piece in front of me but I just shook my head.

"I thought you were going to talk to Freddie?"

"Oh shit. I forgot! Have you seen him?"

"Yes, Sam. He left already. Who's this?" I asked angrily. I know I sounded a little rude but you don't just agree to talk to your ex and then show up with a different guy.

"Relax. This is Mickey. Carly meet Mickey, Mickey this is Carly. My best friend," she smiled.

"Hi," he said politely and reached for my hand. "My name is Michael but everyone calls me Mickey."

"Nice to meet you, Michael," I said, shaking his hand quickly.

"Uh Carly. Mickey is an old friend. We used to live in the same building when we were kids and he just moved back to Seattle. How cool is that?"

Now that makes sense. My expression went from annoyed and angry to not angry and annoyed. I probably shouldn't have assumed the worst. Maybe she will talk to Freddie later.

"Oh sorry. My head is somewhere else," I explained as I looked at Brad and shrugged my shoulder.

"So how did you two become friends?" asked Brad.

* * *

><p><strong>Sam's POV<strong>

_Flashback_

The apartment a few doors down from ours was empty for a very long times. I didn't think anyone was ever going to live there again. Sometime's I'd go in there and draw on the walls when no one was looking, and that really made the landlord angry because it meant that he had to hire people to paint the walls all over again. It was hilarious to watch him react like that while I played in the patio, acting like I didn't do anything.

One day, I saw many men carrying boxes into the empty apartment. Someone was finally moving in. It felt weird to see so many people enter and leave the place because I was so used to seeing it so empty for so long. It turned out that a woman and her son moved in. I didn't see any other children so I assumed he was an only child. I also noticed that the boy didn't have a father. Maybe he never got to meet his father like me.

A few days later, I saw the boy sitting on the floor of the patio. He was playing by himself with a rubber ball, just bouncing it up and down. I decided to sit by him. There were other kids playing but none of them paid much attention to him and they didn't really like playing with me because I liked to rip the heads off their Barbie dolls.

I grabbed a few flowers from the garden and a doll I found lying around. Finders keepers. I sat across from the boy. He seemed a little shy because he looked at me for a second and then put his head down. I took a flower and put it in my mouth, chewing it until it was into tiny little pieces and mixed up with my saliva. I guess my chewing was a little loud because the boy looked up and gave me a funny look. Then, I turned around and one of the little girls that lived a few doors down was looking at me too. I stuck my tongue out at her, exposing the chewed up flower.

"EEWWW. That's gross," she yelled with a disgusted look on her face and ran back to the other girls she was playing with.

The boy that just moved in busted into laughter and I couldn't help but laugh too.

"You're funny," he stated.

"What's your name, kid?" I asked.

"Michael. But my mom calls me Mickey because she says she loved Mickey Mouse when she was little," he said with a hint of shyness.

"I'm Sam. Finally someone who doesn't play with dolls moved here. Why did you move here?"

"Mom said it was cheap. Where do you live?"

"Oh, right there," I said, pointing to my apartment.

"You live close to me. That's cool!"

I placed the doll I found on the ground sitting down and took the ball Mickey. He gave me a weird look but I grinned. I aimed and threw the ball at the doll, knocking it over. Mickey laughed and we took turned hitting the hideous doll over until Mickey's mom called him for dinner.

I spent the next few weeks playing with Mickey all the time. He was my only friend and even though we were different, we had a lot of in common. He was a little shy but he opened up quickly once I showed interest in playing with him. He loved playing pranks on all the girls in the building. One time, we filled water balloons with spaghetti sauce and we hid behind a balcony. We lived on a very busy street so there were people walking by the building all the time. An older kid that looked like he was in middle school walked by with a girl. She didn't seem to like him much but he kept following her so we threw two balloons at him. One landed on his head and the other on his back. The girl he was following around laughed so hard her eyes started to water. He walked away in embarrassment.

What I liked about Mickey, besides the fact that he was mischievous like me, he understood some of the serious things that I went through. Just like me, Mickey didn't know who his real father was. He said that his dad bailed a week before he was born while my dad left my mom the minute he found out that she was pregnant. He understood that living with a single mom was hard because we couldn't get all the toys we wanted like other kids. We had to work with whatever we had which was fine because we didn't need a lot to have fun. Just a few kids to mess with.

One day, Mickey and I were spying on some of the people in the buildings across from ours but he wasn't enjoying it as much as I was.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, putting my dollar store binoculars down.

"My mom has a boyfriend. His name is Nelson," he responded. He didn't look very happy.

"So? My mom always has a new boyfriend," I stated.

"She says this is her first boyfriend since my dad left. I don't like him."

The months passed by and Mickey slowly learned to like Nelson back. He actually loved him. He used to bring Mickey a lot of new toys that he shared with me. He even took him all the way to Disneyland and Mickey brought me back a bunch of Mickey Mouse lollipops. They played together a lot and his mom seemed a lot happier. Before Mickey's mom started sating Nelson, she would come to my apartment all the time to complain about men with my mom.

The only problem with Nelson was that he lived in California but he traveled a lot to Seattle because his parents live there. His visits became less frequent because the trips were very expensive. Mickey's mom and Nelson were dating for a little over a year.

One day, I went over to Mickey's place because he said he wanted me to play some video games with him. When I walked in, I saw a few flat boxes on the floor and Mickey laying face down on the couch. His shoulders were shaking a little bit. Was he crying?

"Mickey? What's wrong?" I asked, grabbing his shoulders and turning him around. His eyes were red and cheeks stained with tears. He wiped his face with his hands.

"We're moving to California," he sobbed.

What? Mickey was my only friend. Without him, I was stuck playing ridiculous pranks on other people by myself. He was the only person that understood me and he was leaving. I didn't want him to go and I could tell by his crying that he didn't want to leave either.

"Why?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"We're moving in with Nelson…"

Mickey's mom approached us and sat next to Mickey but faced me. I looked at her with a very serious expression.

"Sam, I know you two are very close friends but this is what's best for us. I really hope that one day you'll understand. We'll figure out a way to stay in touch."

I nodded. Mickey and I went to the room to play for a little while before he had to start packing.

A couple of days later, the apartment that was a few doors down was empty again. I stood outside of my door. I couldn't say bye to Mickey because they were in a hurry to get to the airport. I just stared at them. Mickey turned around to look at me one last time. He waved at me and I waved back. I watched them until they were no longer in sight. Then, I simply walked back into my apartment to play by myself.

Mickey and I never stayed in touch because a few days later, my mom got a new job and it paid enough that we could move to a small house. Not only did my address change but my phone number changed too. I didn't have Mickey's number, his mom had ours. I eventually got over and accepted the fact that I was never going to see Mickey again.

_End of Flashback._

* * *

><p>"Awww that is so sad?" cried Carly, literally. She even took out a napkin that she kept from lunch earlier.<p>

"So that's the last time you guys saw each other?" asked Brad.

"Yeah. How long as it been Mickey? Like ten years?"

"That's a long time. I honestly didn't expect to see you on my first day of school."

"Dittio," I smiled.

Before we knew it, we were in front of Carly's building. I was excited about seeing Mickey again that I decided to not go to Carly's place so that we could catch up. We said our goodbyes and we walked all around town.

A part of me didn't feel right for some reason though. I was still thinking about Freddie and I was secretly a little worried over what he wanted to tell me. I had a feeling that with Mickey being back in Seattle, things were going to be a lot more complicated between me and Freddie.

* * *

><p><strong>Woo. There you go. I hope you enjoyed it. This was sort of a filler but I wanted to add some back story. I originally didn't plan on writing a flashback but I really didn't know what to do with this chapter.<strong>

**Anyway, the next chapter will be filled with Carly and Brad action as well as some Freddie and Sam moments.**

**I hope you all have a fantastic day.**

**PS. I recently discovered Wattpad. I downloaded the app and I've been reading nonstop and that's pretty much where I got my inspiration back from. I think it's been over a year since I've been planning on writing my own original story and posting it on Wattpad. Would you guys be interested in reading it? Let me know.**


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